BLAINE
“Aye, is Fallen available?” A tall nigga, muscular nigga asked seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
Today was the launch of the latest Galaxy phone and the people of Atlanta were playing no games. The store was finally emptying out after a long nine-hour shift and I’d taken a moment to rest my eyes and boom out of nowhere, here the chocolate Thor look- alike was standing in my face.
“I believe Fallen is busy with another customer. How can I help you?”
“You remember me from the club?” Chocolate Thor asked furrowing his eyes while he stared down at me.
It had been a month since the club situation with the nigga I fucked in the club.
I didn’t typically fuck random niggas, but for him I’d drop it in this store.
After going to the club with my sister, I felt a fire light under my ass so, I got a job with her and kept my bartender job too.
I had to get my life together, especially since this weekend we were taking the four-hour drive back home to see my parents.
I knew the minute I walked in the house they were going to be in my shit trying to figure out what my plan was, and I didn’t want to hear the shit.
“Should I remember you from the club?” I asked hesitantly.
“Um, Jamar? Hey, How can I help you?” Fallen asked stepping up beside me. “I came to see you.” Jamar spoke up.
“See me for...” Fallen asked with a slight head shake.
“How much you make working up here?” he asked staring straight at her. “What?” Fallen frowned propping a hand on her hip.
“I’ll double yo salary if you come work for me. Sam said you was going to school for business, you got a job, but I’m trying to help you with your career.” He said licking his lips.
“Well, I’ll let y’all figure that out.” I laughed getting up from the desk.
I walked over to the other side of the store to help out with the rest of the customers that were still lingering around the store.
“That ass fatter in the daytime.” A deep voice tickled the hair inside my ear.
I knew that voice. It belonged to the man that I could never forget. The sound of his voice mixed with the scent of the same cologne he wore the last time I saw him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked with a smile on my face as I turned around.
“Man, my brother over there on a dummy mission and I seen yo fine ass over here pretending to work and shit.” He grinned calling me out.
“It’s been a long ass, stressful day, you wouldn’t even understand.” I blew out a breath.
“You should let a nigga relieve some of that stress.” He grinned.
“You learn how to put on a condom in the past few days?” I asked crossing my arms.
“Let me show you, Blaine.”
How did this nigga know my name?
“You almost had me until you started with that creep shit. How do you know my name?”
“What? Yo, we used to talk on Facebook messenger back in the day, like when Facebook first came out.” He told me.
“I ain’t never had a Facebook account.”
“You lying yo. All yo pictures and shit was on the joint, it had yo name Blaine Sutton, right? You used to be on the dance team at school and shit, you love chocolate chip cookies and milk before bed, and your favorite color is yellow. I remember all the shit you told me.”
The way he was remembering all these details both surprised and scared the hell out of me.
I was surprised cause he was as thuggish as they came and here, he was remembering these small details about little old me.
But none of what he was saying made any sense cause I’d never had a Facebook account and I never wanted one, I didn’t live my life on social media so IG and the occasionally Twitter or Snapchat was more than enough for me.
“Look, what’s your name again?”
“You really don’t’ know who I am?” his frowned matched mine. “I’m serious, I really don’t know you.” I shook my head slowly.
“Yo, that’s fucking crazy.” He said shaking his head in disbelief. “You gon’ be alright?” I asked skeptically.
“I’m good.”
“Yo, my fault for how I came at you the other night in the club, it was my birthday and shit, I was drunk as fuck and I thought you was her. I mean you are her, but you ain’t, feel me?” he asked.
“So, we share a birthday, and both like to fuck in public places. Cool.” I said with a nod.
“Hell yeah.” He laughed.
I watched how his eyes twinkled as he laughed and smiled. His white teeth shone bright as he offered a wide smile that made my pussy tingle. The man knew how to fuck, and my pussy was dying to sit on his face and find out what his mouth could do.
“Give me your phone.” I told him extending my hand throwing caution to the wind.
He gave me his phone and I put my number in and handed it back to him with my name still displayed.
“The real Blaine Sutton.” He laughed and winked at me before he spoke, “I’ma hit you in an hour.” He told me.
“Okay.” I grinned as he eyed me before he walked off leaving me to admire his bowed legs as they carried him off.
With my sexy ass distraction out the way, I focused on my sister and the nigga I’d learned was named Jamar go back and forth, but what caught my attention was the fact that she was smiling and laughing at his words.
That never happened with Fallen, she just didn’t seem to be interested in dudes, but Jamar had her smooth brown skin glowing.
“Fallen, you ready?” I interrupted their conversation.
“Yeah, give me a second.” She told me.
“Look, if you want the job, it’s yours. If you don’t then it’s whatever?” he shrugged before walking away.
“So, what’s going on with him?” I asked as Fallen and I got into her car.
“Not a thing.” She replied.
“Clearly, it’s something. I seen you over there grinning and shit.” I called her out.
“And I seen you and his brother over there grinning and talking. I saw y’all at the club too, you was acting guilty, what’s up with that?” she asked me.
After having nasty, dirty closet sex with a stranger, I felt really guilty.
I’d slept with someone else on the anniversary of Tremaine’s death.
It felt like I’d just added salt in the wound and now here that cocky motherfucka was again tempting me with his big ass dick, but unlike the first time I wasn’t falling for it.
I put my phone on do not disturb before I left the store.
“I fucked him.” I told her honestly.
“Bitch!” she screamed swerving as she looked at me.
“Girl, you better drive this damn car!”
“My fault, but you surprised me with that. I notice you did get missing for a minute, but damn, lil hoe.” She smirked at me.
“I feel so bad about it too.” I said covering my face. “For what? Sleeping with someone else?” she asked. “And on the day, he died too.” I shook my head.
If Tremaine was here, he would be pissed. For twenty years Tremaine had been the only man I’d had sex with and then one drunken night running into some fine ass, tatted up nigga had changed all of that.
“You mean your birthday Blaine? I know it hurts that Tremaine is gone, but he’s gone baby. You have to open yourself up to fall in love with someone else. It’s inevitable.” She shrugged.
I didn’t say anything else out loud as my thoughts of my ex crowded around me.
“Blaine” Fallen’s cotton candy gel tips grabbed my arm before I got out the car. “It’s okay, to move on. It’s not realistic to think you’ll never love someone again.”
I nodded my head and continued out of the car and into the house. A few days later...
“My babies!” My mama squealed as Fallen and I climbed out of her two door Toyota Solara.
I raced around the front of the car and wrapped my arms around her tightly. Seconds later Fallen wrapped her arms around us.
“I missed you two so much.” She cried once she let me go.
“Don’t cry ma, we here.” Fallen told her.
“Don’t mind me, how are you two?” she asked leading us into the house.
“We’re good, ma.” Fallen answered.
“Welcome home!” Our dad was standing at the stove flipping pancakes like it was ten in the morning and not damn near ten at night.
“Daddy, what you in here cooking?” I asked checking the pots on the stove while he hugged Fallen.
“You know better than to be going through my pots.” He smacked my hand playfully and then kissed my forehead.
“What are you doing here dad?” Fallen asked while I sat down on the bar stool.
Even though he was married, he still came over to visit and him and my mom stayed close. I don’t know how his wife didn’t see it, but maybe she did, I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to.
“I came over to see y’all.” He lied.
I could tell by the way he was focusing on the food on the stove and not Fallen or me. After eating dinner together, my dad left and went home to his wife.
“What you doing up?” my mom asked when I appeared at the entrance of the kitchen spying on her.
“Can’t sleep.” I shrugged shyly as I walked in.
I sat down at the oval shaped solid oak table I’d eaten thousands of meals at over the years.
My mom was a very particular woman. She didn’t believe in messy rooms or heaven forbid dirty laundry, Fallen and I had a tight cleaning schedule.
Fallen was just like our mom in that way, a place for everything and everything in its place, Fallen repeated the phrase behind my mother all the time.
“What’s going on?” she asked as she continued sweeping the few particles on the floor.
“Every night is different. Some nights I dream about Tremaine, other nights I’m up hating him and being angry with him.” I spoke honestly.
I was falling apart; I didn’t know what I was supposed to be doing. I wanted to get over this sad feeling that hung over me. But what if I met a nigga started having new memories with him, would I forget Tremaine?
“It’s okay to forgive yourself. You didn’t pull the trigger, you weren’t holding the gun that shot him, and you didn’t order his death. You can’t keep blaming yourself.” My mom said rubbing my back softly.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah, you want some tea?” she asked putting the broom away. “No. Are you and daddy back messing around?” I asked.
This wasn’t the first time my parents decided they were going to try to work things out again.
Only problem with that was they really only worked in the bedroom.
I’d go to sleep with both parents and come home from school and my daddy would be dragging his raggedy, blue duffle bag out the door.
His wife would be mad with him for a few days or a few weeks, but he would make his way back home filing her up with promises of commitment he had no intention to give her.
Until the next time he came by and saw my mama in a short skirt, going on a date, or just happy in general and then he was right back promising her the same commitment he was supposed to be giving to his wife.
He was a great parent, but the man was a terrible spouse.
“I’m just enjoying myself.” She said looking away from me.
“With another woman’s husband.” I added on to her statement.
“I’ve been in love with that man since I was twenty years old! I’ve dealt with side chicks, outside babies, and given that nappy headed negro two damn babies of my own, that nigga belongs to me!” my mama told me.
“I know it feels like that, but he’s married to her.” I reminded her.
“I’m so weak for him.” She rolled her eyes as she stood a few feet away from me.
“I love my daddy, but you always told me not to mess with a married man, but you doing it right now.”
“Y’all left me, if he ain’t here then I’m here by myself.” She sighed.
“Come to Atlanta, move somewhere else, go on vacation, but don’t do this.” I shook my head.
“You’re right.” She agreed.